Strategies and Actions to address health inequities

Enabling

Achieving equity in health bvy giving all people the opportunity to develop personal skills and take control over the factors that influence their health

What does enabling do?

Empowers individuals and communities

Involves health education, skill development, an daccess to resources

Supports people in making healthier choices

Examples of enabling

Providing free culturally appropriate sex health ed in remote aboriginal communities

Running mental health literacy workshops for fifo workers to build self awareness and helps eeking behaviours

Offer nutrition and cooking programs for low income families

Mediating

Coordinating action across different sectors

• government

• health

• community

• private

to improve heath outcomes for all

What does mediating do?

Brings together stakeholders with different views

aims to reduce conflict and create shared solutions

Includes partnerships or community forums

Examples of mediating in action

Collaborating between schools, police and youth centres to address anti social behaviour and vaping

health departments working with local councils and food suppliers to improve access to healthy food in rural areas

Creating cross sector agreements to provide mobile health services after a bushfire

Advocating

Taking political or social action to create supportive environments and improve health outcomes for disadvantaged groups

What does advocating do?

Gives a voice to individuals or groups who face inequities

Involves lobbying awarenss campaigns and influencing policy

Focuses on equity and social justice

Examples of advocation in action

Launching a campaign to extend free mental health sessions for regional youth under medicare

lobbying for safe housing and social support for people experiencing homelessness

public health organisations pushing for stricter laws on alcohol advertising near schools

How does EMA fit into ottowa charter

EMA is the overarching strategies used to support and carry out aciton across all five action areas

Ensure principles of equity, empowerment and participation are embedded in all health promotion activies

Often frames EMA as the how behind the action areas

Actions to address health inequities

Improving access to health care

Improving health literacy

Ottowa charter action areas

Improving access to healthcare

Ensuring that all individuals regardless of location, income, culture or ability, can obtain appropriate and timely healthcare

Examples of improving access to healthcare in action

Telehealth services for rural communities

Mobile breast screening units for remote wa towns

Bulkbilling clincis in low income

How improving access to health care reduces inequity

Helps overcome geographic and financial barriers

Targets groups that typically experience lower service availability or affordability

Improving early detection and management of disease

What is Improving health literacy

Improving people’s ability to access, understand, and use healthinformation to make informed decisions about their health

Examples of improving health literacy in action

• translated resources for CALD communities

• plain english signage and brochures in hospitals

• youth focused mental health apps and webstires

How it reduces inequity

Hleps overcome geographic and finanical barriers

Imprvoves early detection and management of disease

What are the ottowa charter action areas?

• Build health public policy

• create supportive environments

• strengthen community action

• develop personal skills

• reorient health services

How they reduce inequity

Encourage structural and community wide changes

Address multiple determinants of health

Are applied specifically to vulnerable groups

What is building healthy public policy

Involves advocating for, and establishing health as priorities at all levels and sectors

this may include national legislation (laws, taxation) and organisational policy and procedures)

Example strategies for building healthy public policy

Drink driving laws

Legislation to ban smoking in public places, workplaces, pubs and clubs

taxation on tobacco

reduced taxes on low alcohol beer

laws around the compulsory wearing of bicycle helmets

antibullying policies in school

regulations around nutrition content on food labels

occupational health and safety legislation

What is creating supportive environments?

Acknowledges the interconnectedness between people and their environment and that people communities and the environment need to be scared for and protected

Exampels of creating supportive environments

Programs for new parents in maternal and child health centres

bike paths and bike lanes on roads

provision and sale of healthy food and drink in school canteens

safe children’s playgrounds and shaded areas for children

inclusive sporting rounds e.g. indigenous round

public workout areas, sporting and laughing field

free phone services, such as quit cancer helpline

What is strengthening community action?

Involves engaging community resources adn strengthening competencies, collaboration and participation

This may include empowerment of communities to enable them to take ownership and control of their health

Examples of strengthing community action

Neighbourhood watch programs

developing a whole school approach to drug education

mum n bub groups

driver reviver rest stations

alcohol free events for young people

local community programs like walking groups

tree planting to provide shade

What is reorienting health services

Advocates for the healthcare system that prioritises health and focuses on universal accesses

acknowlegded as the responsibility of individuals, the community, health professionals, health services institutions and governments

reorienting health services also includes a focus on research, professional education and training,

Examples of reorienting health services

General practitioners incorporating advice on nutrition and physical activity when treatoing overweight or obese pateitns

health pormotion occiver developing and coordinating prevantative health [rpgram

police working in schools to support road safety education

year medicare funded healthchecks, such as 45 year old health check

national breast cervicala cancer screening programs and policies

national hpv, hepatitis B accination programs

Needs of the population

What is Developing personal skills?

Developing personal skills aims to support personal and social developemnt through providing information, edcuation for health an denhancing life skills

Examples of developing personal skills?

Health education programs in schools

teaching children sun safe behaviours

working with young people to develop responsible drinking behaviours

Information brochures in medical centres

online learning programs distribution